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Approved by Arizona voters in 1990,
the Heritage Fund sets aside up to $10 million annually from Lottery revenues
for the State Parks Board to preserve, protect, and enhance Arizona’s natural
and scenic environment, and its historical and cultural heritage. The audit
found that the Board generally expends these monies appropriately.
Specifically, the report notes that the Board has acquired 11 properties since
fiscal year 1999, at a cost of nearly $14.5 million. These acquisitions
complied with statute and for the most part, the Board’s acquisition
guidelines. However, the Board should ensure that proposed acquisitions
undergo required reviews and should institute additional reviews that are not
currently required to provide further assurance that all acquisition steps
have been appropriately and accurately completed. The Board has also
established an effective grants program that distributes Heritage Fund monies
to qualifying projects, but it should do a better job of following its grant
monitoring procedures to ensure that projects are proceeding appropriately.
Finally, the Board should more accurately track the time that its employees
spend on Heritage Fund activities and then appropriately allocate employee
salaries and related expenditures to the Heritage Fund.
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